Israeli President Reuven Rivlin condemned what he described as an “awful and grubby” election campaign as he cast his ballot on Monday. “We deserve a government that works for us,” Rivlin said in a statement after voting in Jerusalem.
“We don’t deserve another awful and grubby election campaign like the one that ends today and we don’t deserve this never-ending instability,” AFP quoted the president as saying. The run-up to Israel’s third election in less than 12 months has included a series of leaked recordings and mudslinging.
Rivlin said voting day in Israel is normally a “festive” day. “But the truth is that I don’t feel like celebrating. I only [feel] a sense of deep shame when I face you, my fellow citizens,” he added.
Voters are seeking to end a grinding political deadlock following two inconclusive elections in April and September. Polls have pointed to another tight race between PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party and the centrist alliance led by ex-military chief Benny Gantz.